Kyla’s Career Story

Kirkland is a collaborative organization with a positive working environment, where I’ve had the privilege of working with extraordinarily talented people. Kirkland has a friendly atmosphere for such a large organization. It is amazing how well the teams integrate and work together.

The people and the work keep me at Kirkland. I love the Technology & IP Transactions Practice Group, and the incredible opportunities I experience here keep me engaged, challenged and interested every day.

I’m proud to be a Kirkland attorney because I have the opportunity to work on some of the largest and most complex deals in the world and am a valued resource for our clients.

I have had many opportunities to broaden the scope of my legal work because we work with clients involved in so many different industries. My legal understanding has also expanded significantly based on the opportunity to collaborate with so many incredible global resources throughout the Firm.

Early on in my career at Kirkland, I had the incredible opportunity to join a group working in the entertainment space, starting in music and broadening to other aspects of the entertainment field, including sports, publishing and rights of publicity. This is a passion for me and has been some of the most fun work I’ve had the pleasure to do.

I actively participate in the Women’s Professional Network (WPN) with my local office and consistently take on pro bono projects, especially as they relate to intellectual property. I’ve also been able to grow as a leader through my involvement in the mentorship of newer associates, recruitment efforts and client development.

These initiatives provide an opportunity for me to contribute to my community and connect with others both inside and outside the Firm. It was meaningful to be able to mentor in the University of Texas Pro Bono Trademark Clinic and provide advice to university students on how to talk to and support clients in the trademark field.

The open assignment system is tremendous because it gives you the opportunity to work with and gain experience from many partners and more senior associates, which helps you build relationships and professional skills.

I have utilized the informal and formal mentorship relationships at Kirkland to ask for advice when I’ve had questions about the open assignment system. Because Kirkland facilitates building relationships and introductions through multiple mentoring and office visit opportunities, these relationships make it easy to find new people to work with and new opportunities to explore.

I have had a great experience learning through the formal training programs at Kirkland, including the onboarding process, the KTECH series specific to the Technology & IP Transactions Practice Group, and the formal mentor process in my group. These opportunities have helped me learn a mixture of substantive and soft skills very quickly.

It’s been so helpful to have the experience and attention from many partners and more senior associates in my group, who frequently make the time to give advice and answer my questions.